US ambassador to Mexico says claim that Mexico asked US to limit or suspend joint law enforcement activities is false

US ambassador to Mexico says claim that Mexico asked US to limit or suspend joint law enforcement activities is false

In a recent escalation of tensions between the United States and Mexico, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador denied allegations that his government had asked the U.S. to restrict or suspend joint law enforcement activities. According to sources close to the matter, the controversy arose from the announcement of charges against 28 members of the Sinaloa Cartel by U.S. prosecutors for smuggling fentanyl into the U.S. (1).

López Obrador, who has been vocal about alleged U.S. interference in Mexico, slammed what he called “espionage” and “interference” in a press conference on Monday. The Mexican president claimed that foreign agents could not be in Mexico and accused the U.S. of building the case on information gathered by its agents in Mexico. Mike Vigil, former director of international operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), refuted these claims, saying that López Obrador was wrong to assume that U.S. agents had to be in Mexico to gather intelligence for the case. Instead, much of the evidence appears to have come from trafficking suspects captured in the U.S. (1).

This controversy comes amid a broader context of growing tensions between the two neighbors. López Obrador has criticized the U.S. for its stance on immigration, arguing that it should focus on addressing the root causes of migration rather than building a wall along the border. He has also spoken out about U.S. funding for Mexican anti-corruption NGOs, claiming it is an attempt to interfere in Mexico’s internal affairs (1).

Despite López Obrador’s denials, some experts say the tensions could have serious consequences for both countries. The Sinaloa cartel is one of the most powerful and violent drug trafficking organizations in the world, responsible for the fentanyl and methamphetamine trafficking that fuel most of the violence in Mexico. Avoiding confrontation with the cartels is unlikely to bring peace, and U.S.-Mexico cooperation is crucial in combating this transnational threat.

References:
(1) Associated Press. (2023, March 20). Mexican president slams U.S. ‘spying’ over drug allegations. Retrieved March 21, 2023, from https://apnews.com/article/mexico-cartel-violence-drugs-lopez-obrador-0151fa0f418c62aac1738fbffefec8b5